We Can Help With That

Alex Brower
Information Services Director

What do To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple, and The Sun Also Rises have in common?

They’re all banned books! These classics have been banned, nearly banned, and everything in between for a variety of reasons, some of which you can read here.

On one side of those challenges there is always a librarian or teacher who was incorporating a novel into their collection or classroom. They had reasons behind choosing to add these books to their collection and teaching them to generations of students. When a book is chosen for a collection in a library or added to a school curriculum, there is typically a vetting process that involves reviews and research, as well as knowledge of a community. It is a deliberate and thoughtful decision. When a book is challenged or opposed, the librarian or teacher must defend their choice and dig up those reviews and articles and awards.

Or could someone else do the heavy lifting for them?

The Mississippi Library Commission is now offering a service for Mississippi teachers and libraries who face materials challenges or can feel one brewing and want to be prepared. We will do the research for you: finding awards lists, reviews, and articles that discuss the title in question so that you can more easily defend your collection and your community’s right to read. All you need to do is call our Reference Desk at 601-432-4492, text us at 601-208-0868, or email us at mlcref@mlc.lib.ms.us. We will compile the information that you need so you'll have more time for other thoughtful and deliberate decisions.

For other information about dealing with materials challenges, feel free to visit our Intellectual Freedom Resources page here. We hope that you will not need this service, but know that it will be invaluable if you do.

Let's Go StoryWalking®, Mississippi!

Storytime is one of the most iconic services public libraries provide children. They're a great way to engage kids with books and get them up and moving around . You would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't remember attending one at least once when they were small, whether with a family member, a day care, or a school group. When Covid-19 struck and social distancing became the norm, libraries were left scrambling to fill that gap. Many responded with successful virtual storytimes and outdoor storytimes, but StoryWalksⓇ, the 2007 brainchild of a Vermonter named Anne Ferguson, have exploded in popularity across the state and become the unexpected champion of storytime during the pandemic.

 

StoryWalksⓇ are a relatively simple concept. Break a book down to just its pages. Post those pages along a walking trail or around the library. Wait for the squeals of glee. Earlier this year, the Mississippi Library Commission invested a small portion of  its LSTA funds into creating four initial StoryWalksⓇ for public libraries to borrow. We chose several popular picture books: Not Norman by Kelly Bennett, The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, How to Fold a Taco/Como Doblar un Taco by Naibe Reynoso and Ana Varela, and Kitten and the Night Watchman by John Sullivan and Tae-eun Yoo. Then our team of workers got to work disassembling the books, laminating pages, and cutting up velcro. We set up a Google document so that StoryWalkⓇ visitors could check in via QR code and we were up and running. Six library systems have already taken advantage and checked out these kits, and many more were inspired to create their own. They are a new welcome addition to festivals and parks that we hope will be around for years to come. 

This year, Let's Move in Libraries and the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services have partnered to celebrate StoryWalksⓇ--and the librarians who create and promote them--across America with the first ever StoryWalkⓇ Week. Definitely visit their Facebook and Instagram pages to view the libraries showcased there. Want to check out one of our StoryWalkⓇ kits? Contact our Digital Consultant Charlie Simpkins at csimpkins@mlc.lib.ms.us to learn how. Want to create your own StoryWalkⓇ? The steps are outlined for you right here. Been to a StoryWalkⓇ in Mississippi? Tell us about your experience in the comments! And last, but certainly not least: happy reading!

Join MLC's Talking Book Services!

Our Talking Book Services Department is hiring! Seize this opportunity to serve Mississippians who are unable to read standard print due to a visual, physical, or print disability and work in a great environment at the Mississippi Library Commission.

We are located at the Research and Development Center in Jackson, Mississippi, just off Lakeland Drive and Ridgewood Road. Our award-winning facility is the home to the Mississippi Center for the Book, a Patent and Trademark Resource Center, and, of course, the Mississippi Talking Book Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. We also offer extensive reference and interlibrary loan services for Mississippians and library consulting services, digital services, and network services for libraries and librarians across the state. Our current openings include:

• Librarian I
  Closes Friday, November 15, 2021
• Librarian II
  Closes Friday, November 5, 2021
  

If you are interested in joining our team, please submit an application to the Mississippi State Personnel Board.